THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 16, 2025

Justin Thomas

TPC Sawgrass

Quick Quotes

Q. Bud, he's in the mix here and I know you guys go way back. What impresses you about him and what he's done over the last few years to get his game back into this spot?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, his game is -- he's such a good player. I think it would be a crime if he doesn't win at some point in his career. He's one of those kind of -- he's just got that much game. Obviously I think the world of him. He's one of the funniest, best dudes I know. Man, he's just been through a lot. He's had a lot of injuries and just battled a lot of ups and downs and just craziness. I'm just happy to have him out here and playing and seeing him all the time again. I would love to see him finish strong here and then have a chance come the last hole or two.

Q. When he was working through and not able to really play did you guys hang out at all? Were you around him when he was going through the throes of it?

JUSTIN THOMAS: For sure. Yeah, we lived together for, I don't know what it was, four, five years, something like that. Three or four. I don't know. Something like that. Yeah, we've both been down in Jupiter and yeah, when he was going through everything, just trying to be a friend, just like I would to anybody, let alone just a peer out here. Yeah, we just tried to keep his spirits up as much as possible because it's pretty hard to do that.

Q. From a timeframe perspective, could you tell me the years you guys lived together? 2014 through 2018, when were you living together?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It was after I had turned pro. Probably was around like 2015 or so to 2018.

Q. Where was it?

JUSTIN THOMAS: In Jupiter.

Q. I read somewhere where you kind of, you weren't sure, after he had the accident, whether you were going to visit him in the hospital. Did you have some misgivings about seeing him like that or just the uneasiness of the whole thing?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it was a lot. It all happened very fast. It just was -- it was a lot. Yeah, I wanted to be there to see how my friend was doing, but, you know, it just, it was a wild, crazy, bizarre, terrible night. I wanted to go be there to see him.

Q. So did you eventually go to the hospital?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I did, yeah.

Q. Other than you winning here today, might Bud winning be the next best good feeling for you here?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I would do some really, really weird things for Bud to win today. (Laughing). Yeah, I probably wanted it too bad. I was telling Jill last night, I was like a nervous parent. I just want him to play well so bad, because I know how bad he wants it. And it's a huge stage, it's a big, big moment. There's a lot of golf left, he hasn't gotten off to the start he's wanted, I'm sure, but he's right there.

Q. 34-foot putt birdie on 9.

JUSTIN THOMAS: That's good. Yeah.

Q. From your perspective what was the most impressive part of his comeback in terms of an area, whether it was his game or mentally or whatever it was, that he worked to get well back from injury?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, just staying positive. Having optimism that you're going to play again. I think he had, not a lot, but he definitely had some moments I would say where he was like, Okay, what next? What now? He saw so many different doctors, so many different PT's, traveled anywhere and everywhere to get different opinions. Man, it's hard to stay patient and believe that it's all going to work out in the end. But I think that's such a cool, unique thing about golf is, other sports, at his age, his career's done. But he realistically could play competitively for another five or ten years, so I'm glad he stuck it out, for sure.